The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be a monumental event, with 104 matches, including 72 in the group Stage and 32 in the knockouts, spanning 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

As fans look ahead to the opening match on June 11, 2026, at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca and the final on July 19, 2026, at the New York New Jersey Stadium, the regional hospitality industry is already seeing huge shifts in room pricing.

While the matches are distributed across the continent, certain cities are taking a larger share of the action. Dallas (Arlington) leads with 9 matches, followed closely by Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York/New Jersey with 8 matches each. 

Understanding how hotel prices are evolving across these diverse host sites is essential for maximizing revenue, having now moved from the pre-draw phase, closer to the start of the tournament.

TL;DR World Cup 2026 hotel outlook

Across host cities, revenue managers are shifting from typical pricing patterns toward more aggressive strategies that capitalize on the official tournament draw and the resulting supply-demand compression.

• Hotel prices jumped an average of 14.75% immediately after the group stage draw.
• Guadalajara saw the most explosive growth, with prices skyrocketing by 385%.
• Vancouver remains the tournament's costliest destination, with peak game day prices hitting an average of $1,455 per night.
• Houston and Atlanta are the most stable markets, with Atlanta seeing a 1.7% increase on match days.
• High-demand markets like Vancouver and Boston are practicing rate anchoring, keeping prices high early to prevent low-yield sell-outs.
• As a visitor, expect to pay a 31.44% premium on average to be in a host city on game night versus a non-game night.

Examining the change in hotel prices pre and post draw for the group and knockout stages

As fans around the globe mark their calendars for the FIFA World Cup 2026, the hospitality market is already reacting to the anticipated surge in demand.

A key inflection point for hotel pricing was the official tournament draw, which dictates where teams will be playing, and which fans will be supporting.

By analyzing hotel price data across host cities during both the pre-draw and post-draw periods, we can uncover how markets adjust when supporters know where their team will be in the group stages and where they may end up in the knockout round if their team advances.

Group stage: Room price growth and regional volatility

The shift from the pre-draw period to the post-draw period for the group stage revealed a market in flux, characterized by widespread price hikes and extreme variations per city.

Across all host destinations, there was a clear upward trend in costs as the tournament logistics became concrete.

While the aggregate market lift across all destinations was 13.74%, the mean percentage increase per city was higher at 14.75%, driven by more dramatic spikes in some cities.

Group stages: Hotel room price change after the draw

The top five markets for room price increases from pre-draw to post-draw for the group stage are centered in Mexico and the South of the USA, all moving well above the 14.75% average:

• Mexico City: 29.43%
• Atlanta: 27.00%
• Houston: 25.33%
• Guadalajara: 25.12%
• Monterrey: 22.87%

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With the right data you can score a winner for your hotel this World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring extraordinary demand to North America, but as the data clearly shows, every destination is different.

From the explosive price growth in Mexican markets like Monterrey and Guadalajara to the supply-constrained highs of Vancouver and the relative stability of coastal US cities, the impact on North American markets is far from uniform. Just because your market reacted to a certain way to an event in the past doesn't mean the same pattern will repeat this time around.

The extreme demand windows created by big events do not exist in a vacuum. They are in fact highly contextual, with the game schedule also dictated by local supply-demand dynamics.

A one-size-fits-all commercial strategy for events leaves money on the table. To keep you finger on the market pulse you need predictive intelligence.

Lighthouse provides the real-time data to act on market trends, confidently optimize room prices, and maximize revenue for the world's biggest sporting event, regardless of how market conditions evolve.

Get in touch to see how you can fully capitalize on a once in a generation revenue driver.

Jonathan Gough is Content Team Lead at Lighthouse, spearheading all things content marketing. With a marketing career of over a decade, dedicated solely to travel, tourism and hospitality, Jonathan is passionate about leveraging Lighthouse’s technology to move the sector forward and provide lodging professionals with the tools they need to grow their business.